When England were humiliated in India two winters ago, and beaten in Dhaka by Bangladesh for the first time, it would have been a distant dream to win in Asia by a whitewash in a series dominated by spinners. That is what happened here in Sri Lanka, though, as Joe Root’s team turned recent away form, and traditional English strategy, on its head to claim a famous and thoroughly deserved victory. Famous, maybe, but hard fought in Colombo after Sri Lanka belatedly discovered some fight on the fourth day. Two spirited partnerships, the first either side of lunch between Kusal Mendis and Roshen Silva, and then, unexpectedly, for the last wicket between Suranga Lakmal and Malinda Pushpakamara, ensured this was no straightforward victory march.

Source: The Times November 26, 2018 12:10 UTC